Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-29
KALAKAUA AND MR.. GIBSON.
How IIawaii's Deposed Prime Minister
Left brigham Young in the Iurch.

SALT LAKE CITY. July 20.
The news of the rebellion in Hawaii brings
to public notice once more the name of old
Kalakaua, the king of the Sandwich Islands.
and with it is now coupled the name of
man who has heretofore been hut little heard
of beyond the limits of the Pacific islands.
This is Walter Murray Gibson. the deposed
prime minister Of kalakaua's kingdom.
Gibson has a history that 1lvors of the
style Of Sinbad'>, and though he may not
have experienced all the miracles of a fiction
writer's Imagination, his life has surely been as
eventful as that of any character ever con-
ceived. Where he originated do not know but
he first came west about thirty five years ago
When this city was in its infancy he arrived
| here and was attracted by the Mormon faith
| He joined the saints without hesitation, and
| was for a long time the trusted lieutenant of
| Brigham Young. When he felt that he had
worked himself sufficiently into the confidence
of the Mormon leader, he proposed n mission
to the Sandwich Islands, to which Young
readily gave his consent. 1t was agreed that
he should devote all his energies to the adj
vancement Of the interests OF the Mormon
cu.uny, wnich had then only just been estaD-
| li;hed on one of the islands In order to do
this Gibson was given unlimited means and
started out with every opportunity to make
| his mission grand success. Arriving at the
| islands, however, he saw that lie could use
his time to better advantage than in making
Mormon converts, so lie decided to leave
Brigham in the lurch.
Taking the funds with which he had been
provided, he fitted out a craft aud made
complete inspection of all the Pacific islands
He carried the thing OIL with a good deal Of
pomp so that in every place where he landed
the natives looked upon him with awe. lie
| Immediately conceived the idea of bringing
all the islands under one government. with
| himself at the head but being unable to sur
| mount certain obstacles, this plan was after
| ward abandoned. After spending several
years in roaming over the Pacific he returned
| to Honolulu and went to work on another
scheme He still had money left, and
bv its lavish use he seems TO have in
spired the confidence Of the ruler. He was
first given an insignificant office under the
government, and from this he rose little at
a time until he reached the top of the Ha-
waiian ladder and became prime minister to
the king. His success may be credited rather
to his Shrewdness than to his fitness, ana there
is no reason to believe that he stopped at any
thing for the sake of principle. His steal
from tho Mormons was a fair example of
what he would do, and his career has been
| cnaracttTlLeu ny many ouCu uClIoIS us tulS.
He does not, however, seem to have been I'M
grateful to the Utah saints for what they did
toward making him successful, for their mis-.
sionaries have always been allowed the great
est possible liberties the islands. Their
colony il in a thriving condition, and the
government has always been favorable tc
them, deeming their polygamy vastly prefer
able to the promlscuous state of the native
society.
As prime minister Gibson has been king il
u everything except the name, his shrewd engi
u neering always having kept him above Kala
. kaua His ministry has been tyrannical ant
to a great extent opposed to the advancement
! | of his subjects. As a result he became un
}. popular with the people, and the association
of the king with Gibson has also dragged hin
" down in the public estimation.
Gibson is now over 20 years of age, bat i
/ still vigorous and has forgotten none of tn
y tricks of his youth His latest adventure o
"a a private nature was to engage himself to
s. charming young California book agent. Tn
I young lady, whose name, by the way, is Mis-
| St Clair began to prepare for the marriag
| when the old man backed out. At last az
| counts she was about to bring suit agains
| Gibson, placing the damages at 800, 900.
| King Kaakaua was Mt one time very popr
| lar with lis people, and he can no doul
| | thank Gibson for the present state of affairs
n In his Younger days lie was n very fair MOI
" arch, taking much interest in the welfare {
I his people and doing much to win their col
| fdence. Within the past five years, how
1 ever, Kalakaua has given himself up to
very unkingly life, and the weakening eifec
show themselves in the present politics
trouble Three hundred dancing girls nj
= retained foe the kings private entertainment
and he j. So given to debauchery that he cal
not expect to live much longer. He may
allowed to remain on the throne out Of +
spect to what he has been, but lie will new,
p again he given any power AS will be see
IN by the Geographic dispatches, Gibson ms
ei consider himself lucky if he escapes with b
%, life. JOSEPH Il. GAME
in
bn A Jest il often a weak and silly thing,